I came across this quote by H. Dingle (1937) in his book Through Science
to Philosophy (p. 75).
"Success in scientific theory is won, not by rigid adherence to the
rules of logic, but by bold speculation which dares even to break those
rules if by that means new regions of interest may be opened up."
I was wondering if, after nearly 60 years, the young Ph.D's on the whole
have not been trained to the "rigid adherence to the rules of logic" and
are therefore less inclined to speculation. Has the US produced a
generation of Ph.D's who cannot develop an idea of their own but when
provided an idea can work that idea ruthlessly? Are there now as many
thinkers in physics as there was a century or a half century ago or are
the physicists of today just 'doers'?
--
Carl C. Gaither and Alma E. Cavazos-Gaither http://www.angelfire.com/tx/StatBook/
Authors of:
Statistically Speaking: Quotations about Statistics and Probability
Physically Speaking: Quotations about Physics and Astronomy
Mathematically Speaking: Quotations about Mathematics
Practically Speaking: Quotations about Engineering and Architecture
Medically Speaking: Quotations about Dentistry, Medicine and Nursing
Scientifically Speaking: Quotations about Science
Naturally Speaking: Quotations about Biology, Botany, Zoology and Nature